"Are you a woman?"
Atticus asked calmly, his tone tinged with curiosity.
They were now seated in the quaint café where Kaori worked part-time; however, it seemed she was especially busy today, as her presence was notably absent.
The café was quiet, with only a handful of patrons scattered about, individuals Atticus respected, recognizing them as connoisseurs with a refined appreciation much like his own.
They had a knack for selecting the perfect spots.
"I'm genderless."
Atticus nearly spat out his drink.
"Oh… uh, cool."
There was a beat of silence.
"So, uh… do you have a pole or a hole?"
The question left his lips faster than his brain could protest.
Avery's brow twitch slightly as the minutes ticked by, Atticus guessed it didn't want to answer as it sipped its drink continuously, but his curiosity persisted, refusing to back down.
"Then how about this… do you pee standing or sitting?"
The twitch in Avery's brow returned, sharper now, like a warning flare.
"You don't need to know."
Atticus deflated, appearing to have uncovered the ultimate treasure chest, only to find it brimming with nothing but abundant parchments preaching the virtues of friendship.
"Wait, which wing are you staying in? Don't tell me it's the lounge area."
"…"
Avery looked at him as if it were deciding some dark judgment on his destiny.
"I reside in the Men's Wing."
"Oh, then would you mind if I borrowed your notes? I'd be more than willing to compensate."
Avery inclined its head. "Compensation won't be necessary."
"Hmm… Aren't you afraid? You accepted my invitation."
"Not really. They know what I'm like, and their attention is focused solely on you."
Atticus offered a faint, knowing smile. "In that case, may I have your number?"
Avery gave a small nod in reply.
Atticus and Avery talked, though most of the conversation was carried by Atticus, while Avery responded succinctly.
After Atticus paid for their drinks, they made their way to Aerith Castle.
There, Avery handed him the lecture notes before Atticus retreated to his room, locking the door behind him.
***
Atticus could access his Immortal Core with effortless ease, requiring no arduous meditation, just a fleeting moment of solace.
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to center and align.
Boom!
A cacophony of noise erupted, as though a series of natural disasters had struck all at once.
Isn't that coming from the training grounds?
The Seraph class had its own training grounds, located deep underground beneath Aerith Castle. Spanning an area as vast as a small city, each member was afforded their own private training room.
The facility closed promptly at 10 PM each night.
Who is that Monster?
For even a faint echo to resonate within the castle meant chaos of truly extraordinary proportions.
Aerith Castle was a fortress of comfort, meticulously designed to muffle all sound and sever any vibrations emanating from the depths below. Whatever was unfolding in the training grounds could only be described as carnage.
Couldn't they, at the very least, show some mercy to the poor dummies?
Shaking his head in exasperation, Atticus refocused and sank into his Immortal Core.
Dusk settled softly upon his Immortal Core.
Atticus idly rubbed the belly of the Headless Azure Tiger, his gaze fixed on the essence pond.
The pond's surface shimmered with a delicate light-yellow hue, and he could feel it, he was almost at mid-Yellow.
The self-sustaining essence, now trickling in ounces.
For the time being, there were two ways to amplify this essence.
The first was to ascend in rank.; the second, far more elusive, relied on heartfelt emotion, something akin to the moment he gave Kaori a sincerely offered flower.
Atleast now, he had control over how much of the essence to allocate for the Immortal Core's sustenance.
The Immortal Core harnessed this essence in three distinct ways: first, to maintain and stabilize the island; second, to facilitate progression in rank; and third, to channel essence seamlessly through his meridians.
Temporarily, he was directing the entirety of the self-sustaining essence into the core, but it wasn't nearly enough.
The Immortal Core demanded far more, at least half a cup's worth.
It felt like he was rationing it, feeding the Core just twice a day with no vital supplements.
He did it because the pond was only at 37%; so low.
The depletion left him with a sensation akin to a debilitating debuff, as though he were on the verge of starvation.
If the decline persisted, he knew the effects would only worsen.
The reason he didn't rush to absorb a core was simple: he needed to thoroughly understand its nature to maximize its potential benefits, and, more importantly, he needed additional funds.
He turned his focus inward, attuning himself to the primitive aspects of his abilities.
[Willpower - Origin 7]`
[Adaptability - Origin 5]
[Creativity - Origin 3]
[Reaction Time - Origin 3]
When Kenn touched his shoulder, even though he couldn't respond, his Reaction Time Origin surged, rising to level three.
The upgrade triggered a profound shift within him; his perception sharpened, as if colors appeared more vivid, their saturations deeper, and every detail brought into striking clarity.
"Ah, pontificating about becoming the strongest… my, if only they knew."
Atticus's mouth twitched, but he paid no mind to the ancient hag.
Hesperia loomed above him, her presence casting a shadow over his form.
Atticus ceased rubbing the tiger's belly, sensing the creature's lingering satisfaction as he rose to his feet and turned toward the pond.
What was new was… the emergence of a budding chrysanthemum.
"Why are you betraying yourself? You have feelings for them, don't you?"
"That's infatuation, a reaction to their divine appearances."
"Deception suits you poorly."
Atticus turned his back, a silent gesture of dismissal to end the exchange.
"Fleeing from your own emotions, are you?"
"I am not fleeing. I am making the choice that is most fitting, the choice that serves reason."
With that, Atticus departed from the Immortal Core.